$80 Million = $5,000 and 20 Months

David L. Smith's claim to fame is that he wrote the Melissaworm, which once loosed upon an unsuspecting Internet population, brought down the mail systems of some of the largest companies connected to the Internet. When it was all said and done, the event was estimated to have cost corporate America in excess of $80 million dollars. This, of course, doesn't include its effects on every day people bidding on eBay or selling online. Smith pleaded guilty to the charges, calling his own actions "immoral." The result: a $5,000 fine and 20 months in prison--not even the maximum sentence allowed by law.